Georgia basketball pursuing Scott Drew to replace Tom Crean

The Georgia basketball program is reportedly pursuing Scott Drew as a candidate to replace Tom Crean as the Dawgs’ next head coach.

After firing Tom Crean, the Georgia basketball program is being aggressive when it comes to replacing him, as the Dawgs have reportedly reached out to Scott Drew of the Baylor Bears.

Graham Coffey of DawgSports first reported on this massive college basketball bombshell. Drew is coming off his first national title as the head coach of Baylor, a program he built from the ground up out of scandal. While Georgia is a football school, it is a bit of a hidden gem on the hardwood. With the right head coach, Georgia can recruit the talent-rich Atlanta area and see what happens.

While it seems unfathomable that Drew would actually leave Waco, here is why it could happen.

Georgia basketball rumors: Dawgs have reached out to Baylor’s Scott Drew

Per Coffey’s reporting, uncertainty surrounding the viability of the Big 12 could lead to Drew’s departure from Baylor. The Big 12 are losing Oklahoma and Texas to the SEC. While it is adding BYU, Cincinnati, Houston and UCF, those additions may be more with football in mind, although Cincinnati has a deep basketball tradition and the Cougars are humming under Kelvin Sampson.

What Georgia needs is two-fold: A program builder and an elite recruiter. Crean was supposed to take the program to the next level after it plateaued under his predecessor Mark Fox. While Crean could recruit, the Dawgs were not competitive in SEC play for the most part. Drew did build up the Baylor program from rock bottom. Plus, he has shown that he can recruit in the Atlanta area well.

With Auburn operating at its apex, it has to be tough for Dawg Nation to stomach what is going on down on The Plains, knowing this could be them. Of course, Bruce Pearl is a fantastic head coach, but he is cleaning up in the Atlanta area. As for Georgia, this is the hire that will define new athletic director Josh Brooks’ run in Athens. He inherited Kirby Smart from his predecessor Greg McGarity.

Ultimately, there are two pathways Brooks can go here. He can hire a proven head coach with a proven track record, someone like Drew. Crean was supposed to be that. He can also hire a up-and-comer with ties to the university or at least a strong recruiting background. Many Georgia basketball alums are very keen on former Dawgs player Jonah Hayes, who now works for Xavier.

Drew may only be using Georgia as leverage, but it is clear Brooks wants to make a massive hire.

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